Sexual Risk Behaviors Among HIV-Positive Black Men Who Have Sex With Women, With Men, or With Men and Women: Implications for Intervention Development

From U.S. Agency for Health Care Policy and Research

August 14, 2009

The study authors compared demographics and sexual and drug risk behaviors among HIV-positive black men who have sex with women only, with men only, or with men and women as a way to assess differences among and between these groups.

Cross-sectional data from the Supplement to HIV and AIDS Surveillance Project for 2,038 HIV-positive black men who reported being sexually active were analyzed. Participants were classified by their reported sexual behaviors in the previous year: intercourse with women (n=1,186), with men (n=741), or with men and women (n=111).

Participants who reported sex with both male and female partners reported more non-injection drug use, sexual exchange, and sex partners than did those in the other two groups. Bisexual respondents were also more likely than were heterosexuals to report unprotected intercourse with a steady female partner and were more likely than both other groups to report having steady partners of unknown HIV serostatus and using drugs during their last sexual episode.

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"HIV-positive black men with both male and female sexual partners engaged in more sexual and drug risk behaviors than did their heterosexual and homosexual peers," the authors concluded. "More information concerning the prevention needs of behaviorally bisexual HIV-positive black men is needed."

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